20 Fantasy Thoughts: Bouchard’s breakout season chances have all but disappeared

Things keep going from bad to worse for the Vancouver Canucks, especially JT Miller.

Miller was essentially a 100-point player last season, but is on pace for less than 70 in 2022-23 and is a minus-13. What’s worse is that Miller seems totally out of sorts. He looks nothing like the player he was a year ago, and his defensive play is nothing to write home about. Things bottomed out this week, when Miller could clearly be seen shouting at goaltender Collin Delia in the middle of play to leave the net for an extra attacker.

Anytime there are challenging circumstances on the ice and distractions off of it, it’s always unpredictable on how players will perform. Someone like Bo Horvat seems completely unfazed and is having a career year, while Miller is heading for a 30-point drop-off in points.

If Miller doesn’t find his way soon, it’s going to be a long season for those rostering him.

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1. The Erik Gustafsson show continues to roll on. The Washington Capitals defender now has 13 points and 20 shots in his past seven games, in a somewhat unexpected surge of offence. With John Carlson out of action, Gustafsson has also claimed a coveted spot on the Caps top power play unit. Keep in mind, Gustafsson does have a 60-point season on his resume a few years ago, so there’s at least some reason to believe he can keep this going. If he’s still available in your league don’t hesitate to grab him.

2. Dylan Cozens only had one assist and two shots over three games, before he had a multi-point outing Saturday. He was never going to continue to produce on that crazy pace he was on from mid-November to mid-December, so a quiet stretch was coming. Cozens should still have value the rest of the way, just don’t expect a plethora of back-to-back multi-point games to happen regularly.

3. It’s been four straight starts now for Antti Raanta including back-to-back shutouts, which isn’t ideal if you’ve been relying on Pyotr Kochetkov. The Carolina Hurricanes might be showcasing Raanta for trade and Kochetkov was dealing with a minor injury last week, but either way, it’s a little worrisome Kochetkov hasn’t seen the ice recently. It remains to be seen how all this plays out when Frederik Andersen is eventually healthy and the simplest solution would probably be to move Raanta, but they have a number of options. Send Kochetkov down, roll with three goalies or make a trade. I know those rostering Kochetkov are getting antsy.

4. Alex DeBrincat is really starting to hit his stride with the Ottawa Senators. DeBrincat has 22 points in his past 18 games and 68 shots over that stretch. He also has four goals in his last five. If there were any concerns about DeBrincat’s production slipping without Patrick Kane by his side, those have certainly been erased.

5. Alexis Lafreniere was a healthy scratch recently. Lafreniere is only on pace for 39 points, which is certainly disappointing for a first overall pick in his third season. He could be a good buy-low candidate, though, if he’s traded for a fresh start.

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6. In almost 25 minutes against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Adam Fox recorded no points, no shots, no PIMs, no blocks and no hits. You don’t see that very often. It was one those stat-lines that makes you double check to see if he even played.

7. The incredible start to the season for the New Jersey Devils is becoming a distant memory. New Jersey has now lost eight of its past 10 games and suddenly Vitek Vanecek’s value has taken a hit. That could open the door for Mackenzie Blackwood to step back in and claim playing time. The Devils will certainly run with anyone that helps them out of this funk, so keep an eye on Blackwood if he becomes relevant again.

8. I’m not sure he’s worth rostering yet in one-year leagues, but you can see Mason McTavish is eventually going to make a big impact. McTavish has six points in seven games and the shot volume is starting to come. If you’re in a keeper league, McTavish might be worth an add later in the season in the hopes he really takes off next year.

9. Ryan Hartman’s return doesn’t appear to be hurting Sam Steel at all. Steel remains on the top line between Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov and recently recorded another multi-point game and added an assist Saturday. There’s no reason to drop Steel yet.

10. The line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach had been ice cold before Caufield finally scored a pair on Saturday. It’s a disappointing turn of events for the trio that were so productive earlier in the year, as they recently combined for zero points in the four games prior to the weekend. Those that are rostering Caufield are probably taking the biggest hit, as the Montreal Canadiens forward was once on pace for 50 goals this season. Caufield has the potential to be a keeper for years to come given has capability to find the back of the net, as long as Montreal finds a way to maximize his talents.

11. With injuries to Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, Michael Amadio has taken advantage for a nice little point streak of eight points in six games. This should only be a short-term run for Amadio, though, as he likely falls back down the lineup when the Vegas Golden Knights get healthy. Kudos to you if you are capitalizing on it.

12. When you make projections for players in the summer, you’re inevitably going to be significantly off on a few. I’ll own up to one of those players for me being Evan Bouchard. After a few flashes of strong play, Bouchard now hasn’t scored in 16 games, only has three points in his past 14, and no shots in his past three. That breakout season that many projected seems like a long-shot at this point, as Bouchard hasn’t been able to supplant Tyson Barrie from the top power play unit. I’m not saying Bouchard is droppable yet, but it’s getting close.

13. Eric Comrie began a conditioning stint Saturday. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Buffalo Sabres do in goal when Comrie is ready, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been quite good of late. If Luukkonnen goes back down, Comrie could be an interesting add as the Sabres have started to win some games. They’re still in the bottom third in the league when it comes to goals against, so quality starts could still be hard to come by for Comrie.

14. Dillon Dube is making the most of his time on the top line of the Calgary Flames with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli. He’s up to 10 points in his past 11 games and if he keeps up that pace, Dube will definitely be worth rostering.

15. If you’re looking for someone with upside to take a chance on in the second half, Calle Jarnkrok could be a worthy candidate. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger appears to have solidified a spot on the second line with Mitch Marner and John Tavares, posting 11 points in his past eight games and goals in three of his past four. You might remember Alex Kerfoot scored 51 points on Toronto’s second line a season ago, and Jarnkrok probably has even more offensive bite than Kerfoot. With Marner having a career season, piggybacking off him anytime you can is a smart strategy.

16. Jordan Kyrou had just three goals in his first 11 games, but has rebounded in a big way with 11 in his past 15. That’s a good lesson in buying low or being patient.

17. With Boone Jenner injured, Kent Johnson got a cameo centring Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau earlier in December and scored goals in two straight games. He hasn’t managed a point since, though. Put him in the same category as the aforementioned McTavish, as a player that likely won’t provide much value this year but could be an important option as soon as next season.

18. Alex Iafallo has seven points in his past six games and is only eight per cent rostered. He’s been somewhat forgotten about after he missed a bunch of time with an injury. Keep him on your radar if your team needs offence.

19. The James van Riemsdyk, Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost line is really clicking for the Philadelphia Flyers. All three are under 10 per cent rostered and each have value for different reasons. I think Tippett is the best of the bunch for his scoring ability, shot volume and hits, but van Riemsdyk may have the most upside for this season. If he gets dealt to a contender prior to the trade deadline, van Riemsdyk could be very helpful to your squad down the stretch.

20. Not surprisingly, John Klingberg is down to 43 per cent rostered because he’s having a rough year. If there was ever a time to give him a look, though, it might be next week. The Anaheim Ducks have four games with the great Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday schedule. Maybe a motivated Klingberg, who’s playing for a trade and a contract, finally gets it going.

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